HELP going abroad first time with 5 year old and 18 month old

[tinkerbellie]

hi
am going on hols in may with my 5 year old ds and my 18 month old dd
oh and of course my dh
what should i take for the plane
when we get there shall i have toys for them, shall i take nappies, shall i get swimming nappies or reusable pants for her

they sell them trunki things for kids shall i get my ds one for his hand luggage or will it be more hassle than it's worth

really don't know where to start as we have never been on holiday before and the kids have never been on a plane or on hols at all

help i need some advice (ok well a lot)

Where are you going?

trunkis are fairly expensive I think
yoiu can get other styles ones much cheaper at woolies or even the supermarkets - I'd recommend getting one foryour 5 year old for all their bits - dd ( also 5) loves hers, and has been using it since she was 2!

swimming nappies - you can actually reuse these ( unless of course she's done a poo in one....) just dry them out and they are fine - really. Then you'd just need a few.

We went abroad last year with ds 4 and dd15 mths.take nappies with you and bum cream, we used the swimmers for dd but she ended up with a terrible sore bum and we had to take her to the docs so i would opt for reusable pants.
Not sure what you can take on a plane but take juice and a snack if you can, if your dd still has a bottle take one for when you are taking off the sucking will stop her ears popping.Take a pad and crayons and a book to keep them occupied.I wouldnt bother with luggage for your ds but a small back pack would be ok or you will end up with something else to carry.When you get there try and buy a dolls buddy it will keep your dd amused.I will post more if i think of anything.HTH xx

meant dolls BUGGY [shame]

You'll end up pulling the Trunki tbh but a lightweight back pack or small case on wheels he'll manage. Nappies are available almost everywhere but may not eb the brand you are used to . Take reusable swim ones , perhaps 2 sets , so that you can dry one and wear one , and if hot/sunny I'd recommend a UV suit each.

atm hand luggage is still limited anyway so plan to take the minimum as carry on. How long is the flight and where are you going ? A small megasketcher is good for journeys.

thanks everyone we are going to bulgaria at the end of may i think the flight is just over 3 hours long
can anyone recommend where to buy reusable swim nappies from?

i also am umm and ahhing about which pushchair to take was going to take the zapp as it's small but then was thinking she will go to sleep in it but it would be better to get a cheapy lay flat one, shame can;t take take both and use one for the day and one for the night but i can;t see my dh or even the airport being that chuffed about that idea

Boots, Mothercare & John Lewis sell the reusable swim nappies I think

OOh Tinkerbellie we went to bulgaria last year it was fab. gotta go now but if you got any questions ask away.

we are staying in the sunny beach iberostar
whats the beach like
what sorts of baby things can you buy for kids , nappies, food etc
where there a lot of highchairs available
whats the food like in the restaurants
is there anything to do during the day, couldn't find any websites that really said much about it

thanks this is really helpful

Hi tinkerbellie,
We stayed in the Fenix in Sunny beach. Sunny beach is basically 1 long strip, we were somewhere in the middle and one end was busier than the other but both good.
The beach is lovely, golen sand but the sea can get a bit choppy but out of 2 weeks there was only one day when we could only paddle. there are lots of lifeguards and they were quite good at their job.There is a small waterpark on the beach it only had a couple of slides but ds 4yo enjoyed it it was free entrance but you payed for the slides it was buttons though.You also have to pay for beds and umbrellas on the beach but again only pennies.
You can buy nappies there but not sure how much we took our own they dont take up much room in the case,All the supermarkets stocked a good range of food, we had no problem feeding the kids, the resturants were great i dont think we had one bad meal and highchairs were always available well mostly, there were 2 babies in our party so if the resturant was really busy we sometimes had to wait for a 2nd highchair but not too long.We were half board but the hotel food wasnt great so we ate out most nights but it is really cheap.
During the day we were mostly at the beach or the pool but we went to the water park (go early it gets really busy) dont book with the reps there is a courtesy bus that stops all along the main strip and it costabouut £10 to get in.There is a hotel next door to the cuban which had its own little waterpark which looked good we just didnt make it there.Take a trip into Nessubar it is a lovely little fishing village with lots of little cafes and alot of little shops again dont go with the reps it is only about 15 mins on the bus which stops just outside the resort,some of the streets there are cobbly though.
The people are really nice and they love kids but be warned you have to pay to use the toilet almost everywhere.
They sell alot of fake stuff watches,jeans jumpers so dont be conned.they also sold loads of lovely clothes for little girls not much for boys though.I wouldnt bother takibg beach towels if went again tou could buy 3 for about a fiver, Inflateables were cheap too.
If i can think of anything else i will post later. hth xx

Oh i forgot they do lovely pastel and oil portraits just keep looking till you find one you like but if you are thinking of getting one done take your favourite photograph with you.

thanks a lot thats great

also do you know what the time difference is and how long the flight is, did ask at travel agents but have forgotton

Hi tinkerbellie,
Bulgaria is 2 hours ahead of us presuming you are in the uk.The flight is about 3 hours but if you are flying with Balkan airlines be warned they are very basic, the food is naff and they dont have tvs.If you google bulgaria flight times there should be a bbc website which had some reviews on.